


Return

by miromiriel



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Season/Series 04, Return, multiple POVs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22510492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miromiriel/pseuds/miromiriel
Summary: Just a few things. Not my first language. Too many ideas inside my head, they want out. If you don't like it say so, I do appreciate constructive criticism, but no flames please.Thank you for reading :)
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 5
Kudos: 99





	Return

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few things. Not my first language. Too many ideas inside my head, they want out. If you don't like it say so, I do appreciate constructive criticism, but no flames please.
> 
> Thank you for reading :)

As his master often said, Dromos wasn't one of the brightest bulbs in the hellfire chandelier. And he'd lived happily and blissfully unaware of that fact for millennia. Until the day he decided to listen to a damned priest of all things. As if a stupid human soul would know what his master wanted… Dromos should have known better! 

He'd thought Hell had been bad without Lucifer... 

Demons were creatures of the baser instincts and desires. They liked to make things suffer. It brought them satisfaction, fulfillment. And like all sentiment creatures, they wanted to feel good about themselves. It was really simple with most damned souls, except with the masochists. Those freaks liked to suffer. Their hell loops were tricky and needed adjustments so that the idiots didn't actually enjoy themselves for the rest of eternity. 

Demons hated the masochists. Not many of his brethren were creative enough to be sent to deal with them and he definitely wasn't one of them. Besides, most of the time the master had to go and show them how it was done. Honestly, Lucifer was a natural. It was a damned waste of talent to leave him up there with the live ones. He wasn't even torturing anything there!

The days, the months, the years passed agonizingly slow for Dromos and his fellow mutineers. Made to torture the damned masochists and never managing to get a single scream or even a look of fear from them. Living an eternal life of disappointment, of failure, watching those pathetic human stains light up with joy at what he'd prepared for them. Dromos regretted raising against his master. The others did too.

Unlike up there on the earthly plane, where angels were forbidden to unleash all their powers, nothing was stopping Lucifer from doing so in Hell. Few demons remembered the times of old, right after their master had arrived...well, fallen...or rather crashed. The crater was still there, miles in diameter, the ground still molten. Hell had burned for the first time that day. And it was burning now again. 

Lucifer had taken his time when he'd returned. He'd simply sat up on that throne, observing, taking in the ever growing number of chambers. The disquiet among the demons had seized, expectant of his actions. One day he'd disappeared from his throne and the hunt had begun.   
Demons had huddled in corners, hoping to never be spotted. The rage and oppressive power that radiated from him consumed Hell. He'd caught every single one of Dromos' helpers. He hadn't needed to threaten or torture them, because the primal fear his mere presence invoked in their minds sent most of them taking their own lives. The nothingness that death meant for a demon was better than living an eternity of such fear.

The ones that had survived and had chosen to redeem themselves had been left in charge of torturing the... untorturable. Was that even a word? 

And so, Hell burned with the King's rage and fear lived inside the cold hearts of its demons. Not one of them had ever imagined they'd actually want him to go on a vacation. 

###

Maze sat at the bar, nursing a drink. She watched the throng of moving bodies with distaste. Lux was as full as always but it felt empty to her. She'd taken over management, holding on to a slowly dying hope that Lucifer would somehow find his way back. They'd found documents at the penthouse, detailing all his assets and instructions what should be done with them. It was an unofficial will actually. 

Maze, Linda, Amenadiel and Chloe had all gotten access to his bank accounts. Lux, and all of his estates had been assigned to Maze, though. But the penthouse had been given to Chloe. She came often enough, when she had the day off from work, sometimes bringing Trixie with her. Sometimes she even stayed down at the bar when Ella and Linda came for a Tribe night. Most of the times she would simply sit upstairs and stare with vacant eyes. 

Maze hated seeing her like that but she also knew that it wasn't in her powers to help her. The one person who could make her smile, no...live again, was not coming back. It broke Maze's heart and sometimes she found herself wishing to go back to Hell so that she could escape all those emotions. She couldn't leave her friends, though. She wasn't that strong. And to think she'd thought him selfish! 

Amenadiel had tried to visit him a few times, unsuccessfully. For the first time in forever, the gates had been closed for him. But it hadn't stopped him from feeling what was happening inside. Hell was burning! The Maze from three years ago would have been thrilled at the prospect of seeing it. She hadn't been born when Lucifer had fallen and she hadn't seen the literal fires that had left the land scorched and made the ash fall from the blackened sky. 

A year had gone by since the night he'd left and Maze felt the anger rise up to her throat, choking her. She gripped her glass, barely holding back from crushing it between her fingers. None of the partying idiots knew what the King of Hell had sacrificed for his friends, for them even. Maze's teeth screeched against each other as she flexed her jaw. So consumed by her anger, she didn't notice the man behind her before he grabbed her shoulder. 

"Mazikeen..." the voice was low and raspy.

"What the fuck!" she whirled on him, her expression thunderous. 

"I don't have much time..." the man was saying, his voice strained. He was nothing special, clad in dark jeans and blue t-shirt. Maybe in his early thirties, but he was holding his left hand over his chest and sweating. "You have to help us. Nothing appeases him anymore. He's..." his eyes glazed over for a moment but Maze knew what and who this was.

"Dromos, what the hell?" she snarled, grabbing his right forearm and starting to drag him toward the back exit. As soon as they were out, she slammed him against the wall. "What are you doing possessing a human?! If Lucifer..." 

"The master knows." Dromos' voice trembled, Maze's eyes widened. "It's a matter of time until he finds me..." he gripped her forearms, looking as desperate as most of Maze's bounties. "Please, Mazikeen, you have to help us! The fires... The fear... He made me torture the masochists!" 

"It's all on you, Dromos." Maze snapped, shaking his hands away. "Promise him you'll behave and he might come back." she couldn't help the hopeful feeling in her chest. 

"He doesn't listen! He incinerates anyone who dares to approach him! I'd better kill myself than look him in the eye!" the demon shook his head, stepping back from her. He froze, his own eyes widening. "Shit! Please, Mazikeen!" 

The boring man screamed something awful and inhuman. He clawed at his eyes as they burned. It didn't last more than thirty seconds, but it terrified Maze. She found herself pressed back against the opposite wall when the man finally quieted and crumpled dead on the ground. Taking a few steading breaths, she pushed her hair back and held her hands behind her head. Finally, she fished her phone from her pocket and called Amenadiel. 

###

Amenadiel landed heavily behind Lux, stumbling a few steps from the momentum he'd gathered. He caught sight of Maze and jogged up to her. She was leaning heavily against the wall, a dead man lying face down at her feet. The air around smelled like burned brimstone and ash. She had only told him to come as soon as he could on the phone. 

"It was Dromos." Maze told him, motioning at the man with her chin. 

"Oh, my..." Amenadiel trailed off when he turned him over and saw his eyes. "What happened?" 

"Lucifer caught him." she shuddered involuntary, licking her suddenly dry lips.

"What did he want?" the angel stood up, stepping away from the body.

"To make me go back and talk to Lucifer." she looked up, a feral grin spreading over her lips. "The bastards got their master back alright. Now they are living to regret it."

"Maze! This is great news!" Amenadiel couldn't believe his ears. 

"Only one problem." she said darkly. "The gates won't open for you." 

"But they will for you." he shrugged, not understanding her hesitation. "I'll take you." 

"I'm not saying that I won't go." her eyes were serious, narrowed at him. "If he is as out of his mind as Dromos was whining about... I've seen him angry, but lighting up Hell..." Amenadiel swallowed.

"He wouldn't hurt us, Maze." he said and she regarded him for a long moment. He didn't feel as certain as he was trying to look. 

"I wouldn't be so sure but at least you'll be going to the Silver City anyway..." she grinned, pushing off the wall and patting his chest. 

"I must remind you that I am as of yet undefeated. I am the strongest!" Amenadiel protested, stubbornly ignoring Lucifer's words from years ago. The two of them had never actually had a fair fight to measure their strength. "What do you want me to do with that?" he pointed at the dead man.

"I don't know." Maze shrugged and turned to go back inside. "Throw him in a volcano or something." she waved absentmindedly. 

Amenadiel frowned down. It wasn't a bad idea actually. Too bad for his friends and family but they couldn't have people investigating. Besides, if Dromos had been inside that body, the soul would have already been in Hell. He might not even be missed. 

###

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Linda sat at the table in her living room. Maze was leaning on the kitchen counters and Amenadiel was pacing. 

"Well, not really." the demon shrugged, twirling one of her knives in one hand. She was picking at her teeth with the other one. "But if there's a chance..." 

"Yes, yes, absolutely." the doctor was nodding. They'd told her their plan to go and get Lucifer. "But how can we be sure he'd believe you? You've told me countless times how untrustworthy demons are. How can you convince him that they wouldn't just go back to their old ways the moment they see his back?" 

"You'll never understand it. And you’ll never get to see it here on Earth." Maze shook her head, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "The thrill you get seeing that anger... The fires in those eyes... Knowing he could snap your neck with a flick of his fingers before you have the time to blink... All that power just barely controlled..." she shuddered. Her two friends watched her, mesmerized. "It's fear alright but not the kind I felt from Dromos. They will not risk angering him again." she looked at them in turn, her eyes stilling on Amenadiel's. 

"Alright." he nodded, swallowing his unease.

"Be careful, both of you." Linda rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled. "You don't know what state of mind he's in. How long has it been for him down there?" 

"Too long." Maze sighed and straightened up from the counters. "Let's do this." 

Linda watched them move close to one another and in a sudden gust of wind and feathers they were gone. She sat at the table, wondering about the discrepancy between time on Earth and time in Hell. How long were ten minutes Earth time in Hell? Did she sit here and wait? Were they coming back here or... A loud crash just outside the house startled her and she jumped from her chair. It toppled back in her haste to get to the door. 

"Damn, I never want to do that again!" the door slammed open, admitting a very disheveled looking Maze. Her hair was burnt and wild, her face was covered in soot, her clothes burnt and in tatters. She was missing a shoe. "Strongest angel my ass." she cackled.

Amenadiel walked behind her, looking not very different from her. He had a wild, disbelieving look in his eyes. His hands shook at his sides and he did nothing to hide it. Linda watched them with a sort of fearful fascination. She couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened. 

"The stuff of legends, huh?" she choked down a laugh when both Maze and Amenadiel collapsed on the couch, boneless. "Did it work?" 

"Yes." Maze sighed.

"I dread the day Chloe goes to the Silver City." Amenadiel shook his head and at Linda's questioning look, added. "Your mortal mind cannot even begin to comprehend what it was like down there."

"So true." Maze nodded. 

###

Chloe closed the door behind Dan and Trixie's backs and leaned on it to survey her living room. Clothes, toys and school supplies were strewn around haphazardly. She sighed dejectedly but moved to start tidying up anyway. If Dan hadn't decided to come in early, he wouldn't have seen the mess. But she was glad he had, because a few minutes more and she would have broken down in front of her daughter. 

It was one of those days. A day when everything was just a little too much. She'd been teetering on the edge for a while, stubbornly trying to hold back. A night at the penthouse usually helped but after a year of it, she'd decided that she couldn't go on like this anymore. Who was she kidding, though? 

Chloe laughed mirthlessly as she gathered Trixie's clothes in a basket to put them away in the bathroom. Sometimes she wondered if Lucifer's powers had finally worked on her. How was it possible to miss someone so much? She'd thought herself in love with Dan and losing what they'd had didn't even register to her now. The only thing she could compare this was when she had lost her father. But she knew now that someday she might see him again.

She'd argued with Amenadiel at some point that she might actually end up in Hell, but he'd been adamant that it was impossible. And not even because she was a literal miracle. Her mind was just made up that way. Her soul was genuinely good, he'd said. She was sorry for a lot of things but as much as she thought about everything, she couldn't find it in herself to regret her actions. She managed to find justifiable reasons for everything and when it was about Lucifer, most of the time her actions had been a direct result of his.

Chloe put away the last of Trixie's toys in her room and straightened her shirt. She took her keys and phone from the kitchen counter and headed for the door. Taking one last look at the perfect room, she headed for her car.

It was closer to noon than morning when she parked on the spot Lucifer usually used. Nobody had said anything to her the first time and she'd just kept doing it. Once inside, she noticed the staff at their usual assignments. She greeted those who saw her and wondered at Maze's absence, but headed for the elevator. 

The penthouse was as dark and quiet as always these days. She kept a cleaning service since she visited often enough, even had the fridge stocked. Usually, she would go to the bar first to get a drink, then go to the balcony. Later, she would either wear one of his shirts and cry herself to sleep on his bed, or just collapse on the couch for the rest of the night. It was pathetic, really, but who was here to judge her?

Very rarely she would go to the library and browse through his many books. She never sat at the piano, though. For some reason she felt she had no right to it. Her skill with it was appalling to say the least and she would do it no justice. However, tonight she felt drawn to it. Sitting on the bench, she opened the lid and stared at the keys. She wasn't going to play though. 

So lost in the whirlpool of her own thoughts was she that when the doors to the balcony slid open, she almost fell off the bench. Was Maze out there? Heart in her throat, she turned without standing. Good for her, because it was no demon staring right back at her.

Chloe's mouth fell open at the sight. Standing at the threshold between the balcony and the living room, one hand holding the glass door, was Lucifer. He looked impeccable in his black suit, suspiciously similar to the one she'd seen him in last, down to the red pocket square. His hair was a bit windblown but it was to be expected when one flew, she'd guess. 

She had no idea how long they stared at each other before he stumbled inside. Almost tripping in his haste, he made his way to her. Chloe couldn't look away from his face. Red rimmed glazed eyes took her in with such emotion, she felt at the same time too weak to move and strong enough to carry the world on her shoulders. His lower lip trembled with his ragged breaths. Finally, he was right in front of her, his shaking hands cradling her face with such gentleness. 

Chloe's fingers brushed his ever so slightly. The touch appeared to be too much for him. A broken sound, maybe her name, escaped his lips as he collapsed to his knees. He buried his head in her lap, his strong arms wrapping around her waist. Muffled sobs wrecked his body while hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She stroked his hair, mussing it completely and not caring in the least.

It might have been minutes, and it might have been hours later when Lucifer seemed to calm down somewhat. His breathing was still heavy but his body had stopped shivering. Chloe's tears were drying, and at some point she had managed to convince herself that all this had to be real. But if it wasn't and she had finally snapped, there were meds that took care of delusions. Right? She snorted, unable to stop herself in time. 

Lucifer took a breath and slowly moved, sitting back on his haunches. He looked up at her, steading himself with his hands on her tights. "Some Devil I am, right?" his smile was teary and sad.

"No." Chloe shook her head, cupping his cheeks. "I was thinking if I'd gone mad."

"I certainly hope you haven't." Lucifer retorted, his smile brightening a little. 

"You're back." Chloe whispered, not hiding the disbelief in her voice and eyes. He nodded, mirroring her look. "What happened?" 

"I was asked to take a vacation." he shrugged at her laugh, looking something between embarrassed and sheepish.

"What did you do?" Chloe asked, incredulous. 

"They wanted their King back and..." his eyes skirted to the side for a second. "Maybe I overdid it a little..." they flashed red and Chloe sucked in a breath. "S-sorry..." he stood up then and stumbled backward, one hand outstretched in an attempt to reassure her.

"No!" Chloe was up and grasping his fingers, pulling at him and cradling his hand against her chest. Her other hand found his jacket and held tight. All the time he was mumbling about stupid demons. "You know I'm not afraid, Lucifer." 

"It's just that I haven't had to control my temper for so long..." he trailed off, losing himself in her eyes.

"How long?" her voice shook, her hands gripped tighter.

"Does it really matter?" the pleading tone told her enough and she smiled at him.

"If it matters to you, then it matters to me." she shrugged. "But frankly, I'm just happy you're back."

"So am I." he smiled back.

And Chloe didn't care if their kiss was a little sloppy, or that his whole body trembled and they barely made it to the couch before his legs gave out. Aside from Trixie's birth, this was the best moment of her life. Curled up against the Devil, on his couch was where she wanted to be.

###

Unhinged. That's how Lucifer felt. He would have been ashamed at how little time it had taken him to lose it, if he cared. But the truth was he really didn't. And not just about that. Nothing mattered anymore. Punishing Dromos and his supporters had held his attention for a while. But what were a few decades when you had till the end of time? He'd lost track of time at some point anyway. 

He'd tried assuming his previous role, visiting the hardest cases or some old ones, but it only proved why he'd left in the first place. Sometimes he would replace himself in a loop that featured him, but all it did was to make him feel even bitterer. At some point he realized that he was actually torturing himself. 

The Chloe in those loops never deviated from her role, nobody did. It was during one of those times when he'd finally had enough. He'd been in Reese Getty's loop. He only ever took his place when they'd been at Lux. But this time he only stood aside and watched the scene unfold. And suddenly, he couldn't just watch Chloe, he had to feel her.

He hadn't been forceful. Even if she wasn't real, he could never do something that she didn't want. And of course she had pushed him away, not even sparing a glance at him. Lucifer couldn't remember how long he'd stood in the middle of the dance floor. Her absence had been eating away at him for so long. He just didn't want to feel the emptiness anymore. So, he let go...

He'd forgotten how much power he actually wielded. It was like the time he'd fallen from Heaven, only so much worse. What he'd felt then could never compare to what was in his heart now. And this time he knew that it was his own damned fault. Even if all this was always meant to have happened, he'd wasted so much time. His own denial, insecurities and anger at his father had blinded him. 

The fires burned stronger and higher closer to the throne. He kept them that way. Most demons could only survive the outskirts of Hell where the flames were weaker and he had no desire to see any of them. Many had hidden inside the rooms but many more had perished. Some at the initial inferno that he'd released and others had actually tried to approach him.

He'd felt Amenadiel at the gates a few decades after arriving and had known exactly what his brother had had in mind. But he couldn't let himself be so weak, so he'd looked Hell up. Nothing short from his Father could break down his barriers as long as he held them up. And as the hopeless optimist he was, the angel had continued to return every so often. 

What Lucifer hadn't thought of, though, was that he'd erected said barriers to keep divinity out. Maze was another matter entirely. 

He'd been having a difficult time controlling an angry outburst at an unbidden memory when he felt them. He didn't know why he bothered anymore but he sometimes forgot that there wasn't actually any point to it. It didn't occur to him to pay more attention to their arrival until Maze actually stepped through one of the gates. 

Eyes blazing, he'd wasted no time in getting to her. The force of his landing cracked the ground under his feet. His wings remained spread out menacingly. Seeing her didn't ease the pain in his chest, it flared up with vengeance. So did the fires behind him. He watched Maze stumble back at the searing heat.

"What are you doing here?" his voice sounded foreign to him. Not really surprising since he hadn't actually spoken in decades.

"Let Amenadiel in." he heard the strain in her own voice. The power he exuded was crushing. A lesser creature would have crumbled. 

"No." Lucifer growled. "You must leave."

"Not until you hear us out." Maze shot back angrily. 

"Speak." he had no way of knowing what they had planned but he certainly wasn't going to fall for it.

"Dromos popped up for a chat." she started and Lucifer had to keep his surprise from showing at her ability to keep it together under his pressure. The flames licked at her body, slowly burning holes through her clothes. "I thought he was exaggerating." she paused, the flames reflecting in her eyes. "You can come back home, Lucifer." 

"No." the force of his denial seemed to shock her. 

"Lucifer, can't you hear them?" Maze swept a hand around, making a step forward and he saw how hard it was for her to do so. "They are begging. Chloe..." 

He noticed them then - the demons. At her sides and behind him. On their knees. But that was nothing new. What gave him pause was hearing her name for the first time in so long. It shook him to the core and that was enough for Amenadiel to slip through. He almost laughed at his brother's horrified gasp.

"Luci, what have you done?" he couldn't deal with Amenadiel right now. The self-righteous prick had no right to ask anything. "You must stop this! I am sure neither Chloe nor Father..." 

"Are you out of your mind?" he heard Maze's astonishment and found himself grinning. 

Lucifer's wings spread wide, his feathers sharpening. His eyes burned, the fires flared higher. His laugh sounded mad even to his ears. How dare they come here taunting him? Was that really them or were the demons playing with his head again? He had to admit they'd had some pretty creative ideas over the years. Without wings demons couldn't leave Hell but they could stay at the edge so to speak. Making it seem that his brother had come was easy. There were some very talented shape shifters around that could even mimic divinity for a short while if they’d gotten their hands on one of his feathers. 

Amenadiel spoke again but Lucifer was beyond listening. His mental state had been deteriorating for a long time. He knew how stupid demons could be but the thought that he could feel sorry for them was hilarious. This attempt to get to him was the last drop. He knew he couldn't kill them all and celestial stamina or not, he did have limits. Keeping the fires alight was now an unconscious act but it was taking its toll both mentally and physically. 

Lucifer charged at them with barely a sound. Most of what followed was a blur. As expected, Maze's lookalike wasn't much of a challenge. He tossed her about while evading and blocking most of fake Amenadiel's blows. He was going to take his time with that bastard. Amenadiel was a pain in the ass most of the time but he'd proven himself to Lucifer. Not that Maze didn't mean just as much to him but impersonating his brother felt too close to home. Next they were going to do a Chloe. He couldn't have that. 

"Lucifer!" the not Maze screamed at him as some demons helped her up and pushed her forward. Most of them had scattered in fear but a few had stayed. 

Lucifer thought to remember them to punish later. He slammed fake Amenadiel to the ground, his hand squeezing his throat just enough to incapacitate. Sparing him a look he spat in his face, uncaring at the blood dripping from his nose. The blows he'd taken had done some damage but he wouldn't be the Devil if his pain threshold wasn't way up on its way to the moon. His eyes turned to Maze and saw her hold something in her hand. 

"Lucifer." she panted, her hand shaking as she reached out to him with the thing. It was a piece of paper but she was too far away for him to make out what was on it. It piqued his curiosity. What were his demons thinking? 

Lifting his brother with little effort, he threw him at Maze. It took her by surprise and he snatched the paper even before Amenadiel had collided with her. Lucifer stared at the photo in his hands. Chloe's smiling face stared right back at him. His hands trembled, his wings folded away and he stumbled backwards. This gave Maze and Amenadiel time to get up but he couldn't have cared less.

Lucifer had often asked himself why he hadn't taken at least a photo of her with him. He'd foolishly hoped that Hell would dull the feelings in time. It would have been way better than visiting loops with her in them. A photo would have been real and might have given him some comfort. But speaking of real things...

"How do you have this?" he rasped, unable to tear his eyes from hers. 

"We came to take you back." Maze spoke. 

"You couldn't have gone through the gates." Lucifer's eyes slowly lifted to regard them with suspicion. This had to be a trick. They had to be demons masquerading as his friends. "And even if you could, who would take you to Earth? Drop the act and tell me." his tone was deep and authoritative and he saw Maze twitch in an effort not to kneel.

"He thinks we are imposters." Amenadiel shook his head in wonder and shock as he dusted himself off. 

"Dromos came to me because apparently you wouldn't listen." Maze said as if she hadn't heard him and Lucifer narrowed his eyes in irritation. "No demon will disobey you again if you return to Earth." 

"Demons can't be trusted." Lucifer looked down at the photo again. He felt himself calming but that also brought forward the fact that he had been running mostly on anger. Suddenly, he felt drained. His bruised and tired body ached for some rest and he fought to stay upright. 

"You are not alone in this, brother." Amenadiel was speaking now. "You can always check on them. I can do that for you if you want. Don't miss on this chance." 

Lucifer looked up at his brother. Could it really be that easy? Had the demons learned their lesson? Could he believe that this wasn't some illusion? He hated that he was so weak but the photo in his hands was real. There was no questioning that.

"You gave them the master they deserve, Lucifer." Maze said next but he barely heard her. "They will not make the mistake of angering you again." she sounded so sure. "So, clean up a bit and come back home." she grinned and dragged Amenadiel away. Lucifer let them leave.

###

He landed heavily on his balcony. Straightening, he took a deep breath and looked up. Chloe sat at the piano. So beautiful... And finally real. What happened next was out of his hands. 

###

END


End file.
